Getting your Super Bowl game face on? Score more points this year by putting kitchen fire safety in your line up.

Super Bowl Sunday is a big day for food consumption. That means a lot of time spent planning and preparing game day snacks. Before you kick off your menu, take a look at these U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) tips for safer cooking:

Kitchen Huddle
Prepare your cooking area. Use back burners or turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Move things that can burn away from the stove. Keep a timer handy and use it when you’re roasting or baking.

Penalty Flag
Frying poses the greatest risk of fire. Keep an eye on what you fry. Start with a small amount of oil and heat it slowly. If you see smoke, or if the grease starts to boil in your pan, turn the burner off. Even a small amount of oil on a hot burner can start a fire.

Defense
Stay awake and alert while you’re cooking. Stand by your pan. If you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off. Keep a large pan lid or baking sheet nearby in case you need to smother a pan fire.

Illegal Contact
Prevent burns when you’re cooking. Wear short sleeves, or roll them up. Don’t lean over the burner. Use potholders and oven mitts to handle hot or steaming cookware.

Defensive Linemen
Keep children at least three feet from anything that can get hot, including the stove. Put hot objects and liquids beyond a child’s reach so they can’t touch or pull them down. Never hold a child when you cook.

Touchdown!
Consider using flame-less candles that are battery powered, instead of wax candles. If you’re planning on using food warmers and slow cookers, provide hot pads to prevent burns. Light the food warmer fuel-can after it is placed under the warmer. Keep anything that can burn away from the flame. If you have young children, keep matches and lighters up high and locked away.

For more fire safety information, check the USFA website or contact Titusville Life Safety Specialist Heather Gilmore, heather.gilmore@titusville.com or 321-567-3804

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